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Teaching middle schoolers how to live and practice their faith

Now that June is coming to a close, I finally feel like summer is beginning. Between closing my classroom for the summer, working on the school library and teaching Vacation Bible School at a friend’s parish, I haven’t actually had a chance to sit and relax. Most teachers know the secret to summers “off”- second jobs, professional development, planning and projects that we never have time for during the year. One of my favorite things about summer as a teacher is that I can make resolutions almost like I would at New Years. One of my goals this summer is to take some time for my own personal spirituality, something that has unfortunately fallen by the wayside during the year. Here are some of the things I am doing, and some ideas I have tried in the past for reinvigorating my spiritual life during the summer.

Do a group Bible study. This summer a group of 8-10 women and I are meeting to study God’s word together. We have made a commitment to a 10 week study, which will span the whole summer break. We meet for an hour once a week, and spend about a half an hour each day reading the assigned texts and working through a workbook. We also commit to praying for one another throughout the week. There are all sorts of studies you can choose: we are doing Breaking Free by Beth Moore, which is based on the book of Isaiah and studies themes of spiritual captivity and the freedom God wants for us.

Go to daily mass. Maybe every day isn’t a commitment you can make, even in the summer months, but any chance to go to mass is a great chance to get a spiritual boost. The nice thing about daily mass is that is doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment- most are only about 30 minutes, and at least in my church, daily mass is conveniently at lunch time.

Attend events at your parish or other churches. Maybe you already do this, but during the school year, my evenings are often filled with school events, grading, or just so much exhaustion that leaving for an evening event is just not going to happen. But during the summer, an hour or two in the evening is totally doable. Just last week my husband and I were able to attend an exposition of saintly relics at the church down the road. My husband, the slightly skeptic, had an incredibly powerful experience of God while we were there.

These are just a few ideas for summer spirituality. What do you do during the summer to keep your focus on Christ? Please let me know by commenting on this post. Peace!